Collector Culture: Why Are People Fascinated by These Objects?

In 2004, Sonny Angel began creating little cherub figurines (Fig. 1) designed to be a whimsical addition to people’s homes. Spreading joy, Sonnies are meant to “[provide] healing moments in your everyday life” and “[be] a welcome sight at the entrance to your home, next to your bed, on your desk and so many other places.” Around two decades later, Sonny Angels are having an extreme rise in popularity. Sold in stores like Urban Outfitters and featured across TikTok, people began building their collection with the hopes of unboxing rare figurines known as Robbies and other secret editions. 

As an avid collector of Sonny Angels and Smiskis, another line of dolls that are created by Dreams Inc., I appreciate many types of collectibles that people love. Upon asking close friends about what types of things they like to collect, I received responses like Calico Critters, Miffy-related products, shot glasses, jewelry, Legos, knives, stamps, Garfield memorabilia, matchboxes, postcards, and blind boxes. Some have argued that my obsession with these adorable cherubs is useless, which led to my curiosity. How might collectables of all types be as iconic as traditional fine arts collections? People collect items for so many reasons: memories, ancestry, cultural relevance, and just because they inexplicably like that artifact. Besides collecting items as personal memorabilia, there is a larger cultural significance to collecting something that isn’t a traditional oil painting. What are random objects that people collect and why or how have these been culturally significant?

One of the biggest industries contributing to the collector space is toy and game design. Pokémon was created by Satoshi Tajiri who worked with Ken Sugimori, an illustrator. Satoshi started his own gaming company, releasing a series of games in the 1980s-90s. Inspired by his own childhood, Satoshi created Pokémon, known as Pocket Monsters at the time. After pitching his idea and receiving  support from Nintendo in the 1990s, Satoshi worked on finishing Pokémon for six years. In 1996, Pocket Monsters was released and available on Gameboys in Japan. More characters were made and trading cards were developed, which were available in 1996. Over the years, Pokémon has evolved from the initial game and released various versions. 

A few years later, these cards became popular globally. Pokémon cards have been so sought-after that people pay hundreds of dollars for rare cards and auctions have been held. In 2020, for example, a holographic shadowless charizard card (Fig. 2) sold for over $300,000. In recent years, Pokémon GO had a rise in popularity as players were able to use satellite technology to search for species of Pokémon outside in the real world. Between the cards and the games, collecting Pokémon has been a huge source of community building and a hobby for many people. Its world-building and fun continues to be significant for children today. Pokémon encourages interaction and exploration from the players. 

Dolls are another huge collectible toy. Barbie has been one of the most popular toys in history with a variety of special edition dolls and characters. The Career Collection of Barbie includes dolls that are styled to represent their job roles, such as Astronaut Barbie (fig. 3) from the 60th anniversary or medical doctor Barbie, of which Mattel created multiple versions. Barbie has been significant in shaping the lives of young girls through play and providing narratives for the journey of girl’s careers in a society that devalues women’s work (Cassell and Jenkins, From Barbie® to Mortal Kombat : Gender and Computer Games, 144). Rare Barbies that are limited edition or made for special occasions such as holidays can sell for hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands. The Original Barbie is worth up to $25,000 dollars today. The doll has always shown trends of the times, particularly hair styles and fashion sense. Because of the time period relevance and versatility of her story, various Barbies have been desirable to many people and big collectors items.

With the rise in popularity of racing, many people have gravitated towards collecting vintage and famous car models. Many individuals invest in collectable cars from companies like Aston Martin and Ford. Ford was one of the first companies to mass-produce cars and has a series of popular models that are prized possessions. In what became known as Ford vs Ferrari, the Ford GT40 (Fig. 4) was entered into the 24 Hours of LeMans race in the 1964 season. It being the first race for the GT40, they unfortunately did not have the endurance throughout the races. However, in 1966, Ford won first place by a 20 metre gap, making it one of the closest finishes for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Following this controversial race, the GT40  became considered one of the rarest car collectables.

Aston Martin is a British car company, well known for their quality and iconicity. To name a few of their collectible cars, the Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato (Fig. 5) is a stunning model that is highly valuable because of its history of racing. This model was designed by Ercole Spada at the Zagato factory in Italy. It is lightweight, extremely aerodynamic, and has been driven by many race-car drivers. In addition to this model, the DB5 has also been used in movies such as James Bond. Although many Aston models are shown in the James Bond movies, the DB5 is one of the most memorable 007 cars. The racing history of various models and the DB5’s very classic appearance or association to the 007 films are other examples of how car collecting became hugely popular.

In other worlds of personal collections, fashion is a huge topic of discussion. Birkin bags (fig. 6) are one of the most well-known bags to collect. In 1984, actress Jane Birkin found herself on a plane seated next to the executive Chairman of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. At the time, she was complaining about needing to find a perfect functional bag specific to her as a mother. Inspired, Dumas developed a simple design of a bag that was spacious, rectangular in shape, and big enough to hold many items. Over the years, the design of the bag has become a part of popular culture, becoming incredibly  expensive and thus exclusive. The bag is offered in heritage leather and can be uniquely made, or limited edition. It has even been featured in shows like Gilmore Girls, in which Rory Gilmore receives a Birkin bag as a gift during one episode. She seems blissfully unaware of the rarity of the bag, which becomes a joke in the episode. Although great quality and designer, Birkins are especially culturally significant because of its origin story and popular hype.

As mentioned, brand identity is an important component of a collector’s reason for finding interest in objects. Recently, Supreme has become a world-renowned brand, particularly memorable for the stark red and white logo. In 1994, Supreme opened its store in Manhattan, becoming a hub of skate culture in New York City. It was initially run by neighborhood skaters and locals, including artists. Over the years, the brand became well-known for their experimentation, style, and collaborations with other artists and designers. Mainly selling clothes, shoes, and accessories, Supreme creates unique pieces that often feature their recognizable red and white logo or the word ‘Supreme’ in the same bold font printed somewhere on the product. In some lookbooks, Supreme has released items that are distinctive and more limited vintage pieces have been floating around on the market. In 2010, Supreme made a drop that featured Nunchucks with their logo printed on the handles. Despite no obvious connection between this item and the company’s typical clothing or fashion products, the application of the recognizable bold logo made it a covetable piece. Seemingly nonsensical, the company’s brand decisions  capitalize on this cultural logo-mania to increase the collectable nature of their products. 

Records and CDs are also popular among collecting communities. Ranging from new, rare, and to cheap, vinyl records and CDs have been collected for a very long time. The music itself is an important part of the experience, whether the songs are personal favorites or popular at the time. The great part about music collection is that it can be accessible for many more people than cars, for example. The rise of popularity in vinyls again has kept record stores in business. Similar to other collectables, music has rare or limited edition vinyls or CDs that are expensive and treasurable. 

Looking at a few items from all types of industries, it is evident that collectables have huge social and cultural impacts. From inspiring young girls with the story of Barbie to celebrating industrial design and engineering of racing cars, there are so many motivations to become a collector. Regardless of an individual’s motivations for finding fascination with a type of artifact, there is so much to admire about the diverse types of collections and why people find them so compelling.

(Cover Image: Smiskis Collectible Figurines via Dream Inc.)